Attack of the Bloody 28th Along the Hürtgen's Kall Trail | History Traveler Episode 327

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

⭐️ If you've watched a few episodes and feel like I've earned it, be sure to subscribe so that you don't miss any new content when it comes out. Also be sure to check out The Gettysburg Museum of History and their store at gettysburgmuseumofhistory.com.

[@georgedoolittle9015]

Battle of Hill 400. Rangers actually warned from that vantage of the impending "Battle of the Bulge" leading to "the 2nd Battle of Hill 400" aka The German Nightmare of the Hurtgen Forest. Defending the entire Ruhr Industrial Region did not seem in the least a complicated military matter for German Field Marshal Walter Model who was tasked with this. The Region of Germany had never been conquered... *EVER* ... so the idea that an Army would simply march on through thereby taking at the point of a gun all of "Western Germany" *EVER* was seen as wholly ridiculous and absurd at this by *ALL* (to include to the massive German Civilian population) so why any of this "mattered" did not seem important until the realization that indeed all of Western Germany and far more could be taken at the barrel of a gun Winter 1944-1945 due to the nature of the Rhine River not being an impediment to an invader at all quite the opposite...well, suffice to say the need to avoid Urban Areas was quickly realized by the American troops fighting upon this Region.

[@badkneesone]

Didn’t hill 400 essentially waste away company D?

[@MeidasMJ]

I was going to ask about finding artifacts with a metal detector. I’d love to travel to WWII Battlegrounds with a metal detector, to see what I could find. Is that permitted? Is there any chance of a MAJOR find ? I don’t know… something like a previously undiscovered tank or plane… an undiscovered command post .. something large.. or do you think it’s all been found and salvaged.? What’s the likelihood of major finds ? I’m assuming it’s still possible after all of these years , to find helmets, some personal effects, rusted and rotting guns, bullets and maybe some grenades. Hopefully.. there are no more land mines- just in case they could still go off.

[@MDB274]

Dude, did you not see a silhouette of someone running in the background at around 0:40? In the bushes just behind your right ear. Maybe I’m seeing things.

[@justinweaver8107]

Happy new year❤

[@markhewitt4307]

My grandfather was 28th infantry 112th infantry regiment. Can't wait to watch this. He never really talked about the war.

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

Those guys got thrown into a heck of an ordeal there.

[@lizb8499]

Mine too!! He was captured on Dec 20th, 1944. For the rest of the war he was left in the Bad Orb. He had been on R & R and his commanding officer had gotten warned that the Germans were coming. He decided that he'd evacuate..... but left everyone else. My grandfather and a group of 6 other men jumped out of window and hid in the forest for days. He and 3 of the other men had managed to escape capture three times. The other three had been killed.

[@johnjacobs1625]

My Dad Sam was in the 101st & 82nd & he didn't talk much of the war either! To many friends lost. JJ VF 142 USN 75-79

[@ilamiller8575]

I never heard my dad talk about his time in the service at all. My dad was a mechanic in England. He worked on the B-17’s. I know nothing about his time there. Really enjoy The History Underground.

[@johnpeters5842]

@@ilamiller8575 Thats too bad your father never shared his experiences in England during the war. My father was stationed at Ridgewell. 381st BG, 535th BS and worked on B-17's. He told me everything about his experiences, we visited other veterans of the group and also attended a reunion together! It was very apparent how much the wartime experiences affected his life.

[@mikeg6042]

The foxholes caused me to shiver. Though I was in Vietnam I still believe a foxhole had the same feeling no matter where you were dug in. It feels odd to sit and wonder what the foxholes I dug in 1971 at LZ Stud/Vandergrift would look like 52 years later. RIP our protectors of democracy, your job is done, may your memory live through eternity! God bless our veterans!

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

I definitely hope to visit Vietnam one of these days to try and find a few of those foxholes 🙂

[@justinweaver8107]

Thank u sir 4 ur service to our once great country❤. Happy new year❤

[@mwblackbelt]

@mikeg6042 I appreciate you, sir.

[@kellyburket6955]

Yes! Always fight the right, and preserve our left wing constitution!!!

[@cm-pr2ys]

Welcome home

[@sandyman622]

I was a member of the 28th Infantry Division at division HQ for many years and deployed with them twice overseas, this is great to see and thank you JD for doing this; you are a humble man but deserve all the praise and respect for doing things like this

[@myusernamesthislll4620]

Thank you for your service

[@SimiPair]

My father in law was a infantry scout in the battle. Received a purple heart. He was a great father to my wife.

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

🇺🇸

[@chrisphillips408]

I’ve got to give a shout out to my dad, who was in that battle too. He was Tommie Ray Phillips and was a combat engineer in the 20th combat engineers regiment, attached to the 28th. He was wounded at the base of his throat by artillery shrapnel on the evening of November 4. I think they were trying to widen parts of the trail for tanks at the time. At the aid station, the doctor had him spit to see if there was any blood in it. A couple years after the war, when he was back home, the wound site festered up and became infected. His doctor sent him down to the VA hospital and they lanced it and removed a piece of shrapnel that had been left. I would really like to travel there and walk that trail one day! I can hear Dad now if he was still alive, tell me I’d be crazy to spend all that money to travel to see a place like that. I would bet that he wouldn’t have wanted to go back given that it wasn’t his favorite subject to talk about but who knows?

[@WFMeyer]

Man JD, you just continue to knock it out of the park. I'm so glad you have been gving the Hürtgen Forest campaign the recognition it deserves. It was a tough and costly battle that few people know about and no movie has yet adeqautely covered.

[@nomadmarauder-dw9re]

When Trumpets Fade is the only film I know of set during this battle. Utterly depressing. On KZbin.

[@DeannaClark-oo9ut]

Hollywood wouldn't touch this with a 10 ft. pole.....not the stuff of rah! rah!

[@perryj8850]

Amazing that the most vicious fighting always seems to take place in such scenic and peaceful locations. Phenomenal video.

[@your_royal_highness]

Think Antetiem or Gettysburg.

[@adrianwarner8686]

I've been thinking the same watching, it's such a beautiful place.

[@gruberjens4354]

I grew up next to the hürtgen forrest and to this day I love to hike in it... We collected rusted things from WW2 in my childhood a lot. I grew up knowing it, but many people told me, they feel unease and like something is not right in these woods. I guess there is something to that...

[@gkauto1959]

perhaps the souls of the young men whoo died here in the prime of their lives are still on patrol. Im betting some of these crews that investigate ghosts would really have their hands full around here!

[@maksfaaoa3264]

spirits of the youngmen just trying to find their way home

[@jonb1807]

​@@gkauto1959Absolute nonsense :D

[@gkauto1959]

as if you can prove anything?@@jonb1807

[@DonB.-Mulefivefive]

@@jonb1807 It's not wise to be critical of people who have lived or are living in the area. It demonstrates the ignorance and lack of depth of character. Many areas throughout Europe are very similiar to this in that the number of KIA are often felt to still be in the area. Trouble no one on thier beliefs or religion.

[@Eli-Just-Eli]

My Grandpa was in the bloody buckets, I have his patch and medals on my wall. He was sent north ( I think ) afterward to recoupe, and ended up smack dab in the battle of the bulge. My great uncle was also in the battle of the bulge, from what I have read, they were about three miles from one another. Thanks for the vid.

[@markb.7642]

J.D. you are living the dream of all of us who could only hope to get to half of the places you have taken us to. I am ever so glad I stumbled onto your channel a while back I have yet to be disappointed by anything you have shown us.

[@user-so6gu4xw1w]

JD- Many thx for doing for doing this; my father in law was WIA in Dec '44 in the Hurtgen. He was a radio op for his company CC. My wife and I took the exact route you did down thru Vosseneck , down the Kall "trail", X the "Kall "river" and up the hill toward Schmidt. We used his unit history to try to determne exactly where he was WIA. I'm so happy you saw the tank tracks; really cool seeing the new one. We had a guide like your Tobias who did 2 full days of Market Garden, then we did the Hurtgen Forest in honor of my father in law. We saw where Gen Cota's HQ was and the German cemetary where Model is buried in the Hurtgen.Keep up the great work. Happy and blessed New Yr!

[@nickpapagiorgio5056]

Really such a beautiful countryside in that area. Nowadays so serene and peaceful it’s so hard to imagine the mayhem that was surely taking place there in 1944-45.

[@jbellos1]

I cannot believe how lucky you are to walk in these footsteps and how privileged I feel to be brought along with you. I find that though my father's experience in the Battle of the Bulge did not define the rest of his life, it defines much of mine. Happy New Year all.

[@jamalwilburn228]

A friend was a Squad Leader in D Company (Heavy Weapons) for 2st BN 110th INF Regiment. He was drafted in 1941 and served in all the battles till being captured at the Bulge. He was sent to Stalag IXB and partiicpated in MSGT Roddy Edmomds' protest to not give up their Jewish comrades. He survived the war and passed awsy in 1990s. Havw his ID tags with POW tag along with other items of his. Treasure them ❤

[@randystolz]

Looks like they were almost fighting from tree to tree... Imagine that the days the 28th (Penn Nat'l Guard) were engaged in Hurtgen might have been among the toughest Pennsylvania had had since the Gettysburg campaign. As ever, JD, thank you for showing us the ground. Your videos are among the wonderful resources becoming available on KZbin when teaching American history.

[@saddletramp6935]

They weren't all from Pennsylvania, my father was in the 28th, he told me if guys from NY, NJ. CONN. OH and West by God.

[@Liverpool-1892.]

They also fought with 101st at Bastogne

[@davecass485]

Thanks JD. Really puts a better perspective of the challenges, I had always had a vision of the Hurtgen Forest as much less hilly and more of a slightly rolling area. Your first hand view shows that truly how close the sight lines were and how it lead to such close quarters battles.

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

I was surprised at how steep and hilly it was. Can't imagine fighting in that mess.

[@sad.jackfr00t]

JD-I have to say thank you so much for your hard work and dedication to telling these WWII stories and highlighting the veterans who fought for our freedom. I’ve learned more from your channel than I ever learned in public school, and that’s really sad-but I’m very thankful of you for it. The stories you’ve told have inspired me to join the Air Force. Now, I know I’ll never get close to accomplishing what WWII/Korean War/Viet Nam War/Iraq War veterans have, but I hope I can at least do my best and make some veterans proud. Thank you, JD.

[@TR00P]

Roll on! My grandfather served in the 28th in WW2 in the artillery. Served in the 28th myself. Proud to be a vet of this outstanding unit.

[@matthewgillespie9405]

My mother, now 98, was a sophomore in high school when Pearl Harbor was attacked. She still recalls Monday December 8th when she went to school. Her principal met with the entire student body; the principal, with tears in his eyes, told them “we’re at war now & you young men will have to fight. Some of you won’t be coming home.” Two of my mother’s classmates & one of her teachers died in the war. The teacher, French DeBarr, was killed in the Hurtgen Forest while serving in the 28th Division. He left a wife & young daughter. A friend of mine has the unopened letters, marked “return to sender” PVT DeBarr’s wife received that he was never able to open.

[@justinweaver8107]

😢😢😢🙏🙏

[@pattyconley4096]

😭💔

[@SandervkHistory]

Not being biased here 👀 The map animation gives such a clear understanding of what you are talking about. Great feature for these type of videos!

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

😅👍🏻

[@rgerca1593]

Fully agree! Tried to find my way a couple of years ago. Totally lost my way. These maps are really cool!

[@oOneenOo]

You have no idea how much joy this brings me. Your work is impeccable and such a topic as the 28th in the Hurtgen deserves your quality of work and attention. They've earned it.

[@jordanpatrick7799]

I find your narrations are so on point. Very clear and concise. Well done on another great video. As a Canadian I love learning so much, not only about Canada but also the other countries involved in your videos. Happy new year to you and your family and anyone reading this.

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

Thanks!

[@tonysteppan8495]

A few months back I read a book called The last Hill. Tom Clavin and Bob Dury. A good read about hill 400.What an eye opener watching this series. Walking the roads and trails, seeing what was left of the fortifications along the line. Amazing. Having had family members who never spoke of what they went through in WW2 as a child I would ask questions only to be told, go outside and find something to do. With most of that generation gone. My only hope that the younger generations will never stop asking and learning the importance of history.

[@johnpeters5842]

I worked with a guy named Flieg years ago. He told me how thrilled he was to accompany his father back to the Hurtgen for filming a WWII documentary. I do believe his father and Lt. R Flieg are one in the same!

[@patrickbarney8650]

The correct name would be "Lt. Raymond E. Fleig""

[@marctremblay8087]

Thank you so much for this video and bringing unkown history to light ,.Ive seen a few movies and videos about Hurtgen but these stories about individual soldeirswho fought there really creates the realism and respect.

[@glennbaseballfan4757]

Thank you so much for covering this often forgotten battle. My uncle was in the 28th. He was twice wounded but survived the war.

[@jessicakerr8027]

My dad retired 20 years from the 28th national guard. He will love this video. Thanks for bringing a little history to the very division that made some good memories as a kid for me.

[@MV-gl5bg]

I was the First Marine in my Family. Growing up hearing the stories my great Grandfather would tell of his time with the 28th ID and his time at the bulge always left me starry eyed. How he and his one surviving buddy made their way to Bastogne forming up with the SNAFU squads, fighting like caged beasts. all before most of them had turned 21. Truly the greatest generation Semper Fi 28th From a brother in arms and a proud Pennsylvanian

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

🇺🇸

[@PunkRockJay]

Im a World War 2 nut. Western Front mostly. I don’t know why it’s a hobby, but it is. I build models from that era, have tons of books, etc. I can’t thank you enough for these videos. They’re fascinating and the best part of this new age is being able to see things up close we may never see ourselves. Probably the only thing….but I love you guys for these videos. I hope to visit the museum one day in Gettysburg.

[@erniesmith130]

JD I want to thank you for covering this battle. I served in the 1st battalion 109th infantry regiment of the 28 division. I retired in 2015 not many people know of this battle. Reason for that was battle of the bulge happened the next day. I would like to thank you very much.

[@dwaynekoblitz6032]

It's when you get all the way down to names. That lays it on heavy. Such details of history. I'm less hopeful I'll ever get to Europe to see for myself. You're making that dream come true for me. I've known these places and heroes exist. Thanks to you, god bless you all, you are showing me exactly what I want to see for myself. A very deep thank you.

[@Finchy67]

That is a truly OUTSTANDING video. The research and information given is truly awe inspiring. No wonder so many people like this channel. My thanks and appreciation J.D.

[@LaxinPhilly]

Served with the 110th in Iraq. When we went as a Unit, we wore a brown Keystone on our Kevlar covers, instead of an ACU, which they said was to resemble the bloody bucket that has dried since WWII. Not sure how much of that I bought into, but it was eye opening to see this video and have that memory. Thanks for the great work and showing us this place.

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

👍🏻🇺🇸

[@mizzsparkle3421]

I found your channel about a week ago and I have been non stop watching all of your videos. They’re so informative and offering a humanizing pov, especially in your war videos. Thank you very much for your hard work. Wishing you and your channel a very happy New Year.

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

Thanks! I appreciate that. Feel free to share it out with a few others. 🙂

[@uk-hon5769]

For me, personally, the best video you've ever done, knew a bit but walking the ground truly brought it to life.

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

Wow! Thank you.

[@LETOUR7TIMESFRANCE]

What a great video and awesome insight on our heroes from the Greatest Generation.Thank you J.D for everything that you do.👊

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

Thank you kindly

[@jonibarger3147]

Beautiful and sad forest. Those tank tracks are amazing. Thank you for the video.

[@badkneesone]

Many thanks for traveling to, shooting, editing and all the production hassles of giving those of us who only have read about these hallowed grounds we will never get to in person.

[@DeRikBE]

Last week i went to visit the Kall-trail from Vossenack to Kommersheidt, men i can say it most have been horrible conditions they were in, i could'n imagne that tanks went up this trail all the way, i'm glad i could have this impression from the heroes back those days, Thank you very much, Rest in Peace you all, Never again please.!

[@greggriffin1]

Thank you so much, love your vids. and never miss them

[@rgerca1593]

The track being upside down has bothered me for some years. Thank you JD and Mathias for clearing that up! Fascinating! Great video ones again!

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

👍🏻

[@yisroelkatz-xj6pq]

Thank you for another great video! You always do a great job with tremendous sensitivity and respect!

[@thebattlefieldhistorian8990]

Great video, and I especially like the graphics showing troops movements! Originally the 1st Battalion, 112th Infantry Regiment, was supposed to advance to Kommerscheidt on 2 November south of Vossenack, through the Reicheskaul (which is where the two German cemeteries are located on the road between Germeter and Simonskall). A relatively small group of German soldiers held up the battalion's assault that day, prompting regimental officers to use the Kall Trail on 3 November with the 3rd Battalion in the lead. Ironically, the Kall Trail offered a better path for vehicles than the original 1st Battalion route. This highlights how division headquarters did not understand the depth of the Kall gorge or the terrain between Germeter and Kommerscheidt. It's sad that the bark beetle infestation forced Huertgen officials to clear cut so many trees along the Kall Trail. It looks very little like its wartime appearance, or how it looked even a few years ago. The logging equipment also tore up a lot of the ground on the Kall slope. It will take years for the trees to grow back.

[@IrishTechnicalThinker]

This forest looks like Fangorn forest in Lord of the Rings or the forest when Frodo decides to leave the fellowship while Merry and Pipin distract the Uruk Kai. Stunning place.

[@gerrecksrationreviews2484]

Great work as always

[@stargazer4625]

I'd have shell shock after going through what some of these people went through

[@kevinburt44]

What an excellent video. It's incredible how humanity can shine through even in the worst circumstances. Very moving.

[@iKeeNaX]

Growing up and still living just 20 kilometers off the Hürtgen Forest is unbelievable. Seeing the bloody mayhem that must have took place there is kinda scary. I‘m quit often in the villages of Schmidt and Vossenack for football games

[@bobbennett7195]

Another great story. Thank you. You tell the stories that we don't hear about.

[@troykauffman3963]

Another great video, thank you JD and Tobias.

[@mchrome3366]

Can’t get better for us WW2 history guys then videos like this. Thanks

[@jeffw8616]

My neighbor was a 28th veteran. He was 19 or so and he told me in veiled tones about the horror of this battle. He said the 28th was a Pennsylvania National Guard unit, hence the keystone state patch on the uniform. He said the Germans did not know the meaning of that symbol but, thinking it looked like a red bucket, and with the amount of carnage the Americans wrought on them here, bestowed the Bloody Bucket name on their enemy.

[@hartweld65]

These are truly amazing videos. I have learned more about the battle of Hartgen Forest from watching these videos. I would love to learn more. Will you please recommend some books on this Bloody Battle. .. Thanks JD keep up the good work.

[@ShayneBodnar]

My great uncle served in the 28th 110 infantry wounded in that forest Thank you he also never spoke of it didn’t find out until years after his passing.

[@robertafierro5592]

That was incredible film footage in the beginning .

[@dragon561]

awsome vlog big thanks for keeping history alive for future generations

[@johnjwedrall4290]

Thanks for this video 👍

[@jeffsquires6620]

This episode was awesome. Thank you for sharing.

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

Thank you!

[@frankmarullo228]

This is another unbelievable video JD. THANK YOU FRANK FROM MONTANA...PS. Your work just keeps getting better and better , again THANK you Frank from montana.......

[@geraldblackburn4883]

Good show, and not embellished like some public tv stations, good stuff.

[@Muzdrums22]

Great review of this battle! Love the historical footage you added!

[@arjanberendsen2988]

Thank you JD and wishing you a happy new year! 😊

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

Thanks! You too!

[@timsampson7336]

Great video and thanks for bringing the history and video of the these locations to us.

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks.

[@nanetterolph2972]

JD thank you another wonderful video!!! Happy new year to you , your family and friends!!! Let us all hope for no more wars anywhere and peace all over the world this year!!!!!

[@250sabre]

So many stories and never enough time to tell them all !! Thanks for your hard work putting these stories together !!

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

Thank you! And yes, I always come away from these mad at myself for the stories that I didn't tell.

[@robertvirtue]

Another great video JD ; A lot of work on your part but we greatly appreciate it. Thank you

[@93theproducer47]

I’ve learned a lot from your videos brother. I appreciate the quality of the content you put out 🙏🏼

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

Thanks!

[@swgeek4310]

28:20 freaking amazing piece of history

[@johnlowry6256]

This was absolutley amazing.

[@mikelara8434]

Great episode J.D.,Thanks

[@peterbrown1208]

Just an opinion, but this on the ground touring is where you do your best work. I've learned some new things. Very well done JD.

[@SunnyIlha]

I've subscribed because you've treated these subject topics with respect.

[@larryburwell8550]

JD marvelous pictures and history that went in this area. i loved the video. thanks you so much for sharing. great video buddy!! thanks Larry

[@Chiller11]

It’s good that the Hurtgen Forest is getting more exposure over the last several years. It certainly was a failure of US leadership not just choosing to engage in the forest but the mindless persistence in throwing in division after division into that disadvantageous environment.

[@thebattlefieldhistorian8990]

I believe the idea that U.S. divisions were mindlessly thrown into the Huertgen is becoming a sort of myth or throw away line that does not take into account the actual American maneuvers in the forest or the fighting outside of the Huertgen. It was certainly a bloody campaign, and mistakes were made at the ground level. But the idea that the U.S. Army should not have fought in the forest does not account for several basic realities of the combat situation along Germany's western border. First, most of Germany's western border is forest. The U.S. Army could not have avoided fighting in wooded terrain and expected to win the war. Second, fighting in open areas posed its own problems. Many people point to the flat, agricultural land north of the forest as a preferrable route for the U.S. Army. Well, it was the primary route military planners wanted to use to reach the Roer. Instead of being an "easy" path, it took American and British forces more than three months to secure--just as long as the main period of fighting in the Huertgen Forest--with tens of thousands of casualties. Instead of having to overcome harsh, wooded terrain, American forces found themselves walking out in the open in broad view of German artillery spotters and machine gunners. Overall, every place American troops tried to break through the Siegfried Line and advance through Germany along the western border led to large casualties.

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

Heck of a brutal place. Hope that people share these videos out so that more people can learn about it.

[@dpeasehead]

@@thebattlefieldhistorian8990 This is one of the best rebuttals to that somewhat simple analysis. Several military historians have questioned the reasoning behind the attack through the forest reasons which included preventing the Germans from flooding certain areas due to their control of dams, a control which they held throughout the battle. The western allies were committed to advancing along a broad front forcing the Germans with far less resources to do the same. Maybe Huertgen wasn't the easiest or best part of the forested frontier to focus on. We will never know.

[@thebattlefieldhistorian8990]

@@dpeasehead Possession of the Roer dams does not seem to have been a strong, or consistent, objective for U.S. commanders. Arguably, the only maneuver that could be described as an effort to reach the dams was the 112th Infantry Regiment's limited attack to capture Schmidt and Kommerscheidt. But even that seems like a half-hearted attempt. It involved only two infantry battalions to capture villages a mile and a half short of the dams, with no effort to reinforce them, while the rest of the 28th Infantry Division engaged German forces in other areas. (The 110th Infantry Regiment theoretically could have broken through the Raffelsbrand and reached Schmidt, but even that did not seem to be a major objective.). Once the Germans recaptured Kommerscheidt and Schmidt, U.S. commanders were fairly content to maintain a battle line along the Kall River and clear the forest to the north, in the complete opposite direction of the dams. One could say that the 78th Infantry Division also tried to get to the dams in December 1944, but that effort took place south of the Huertgen's wooded region, in the open farm fields around Simmerath. While we can include that combat in the Huertgen campaign, it was NOT forest fighting. I'm glad you brought up the Allied broad front strategy, because I think that is key to the Huertgen campaign. Most critics of the Huertgen argue that the forest should have been bypassed. Market Garden proved, by October 1944, that victory would not come from some singular thrust into Germany. The Allied battle line in the fall of 1944 developed into a broad front that pressed the Germans in all areas--which included not only the Huertgen but the Wahlerscheid and the Ardennes forests. Now, we can look at times in which Allied forces surrounded German troops and then eliminated them, or forced them to retreat with heavy losses. The Falaise Gap and the Ruhr Pocket are good examples. Some may ask why the same was not done with the Huertgen. Well, those efforts required a pincer-type movement to surround the pockets--meaning that Allies troops had to swing around the north AND the south to meet on the eastern side and pin the Germans in. North of the Huertgen were open fields, which many people argue was better terrain for the U.S. Army. But what was south of the Huertgen? More wooded terrain! So, to successfully by-pass the Huertgen and cut if off would require the U.S. Army to fight in a different section of woods, which they were also already fighting in and struggling to clear. How is that better? Overall, I believe that--apart from the 28th Infantry Division's overly ambitious strategy in early November 1944 which was more costly than it should have been--high casualties in the Huertgen were probably unavoidable.

[@TobinDurazo]

I once spoke with an old WW2 veteran and he was part of the 2nd infantry U.S. Army that fought in the Hurtgen Forest in the battle of the bulge in '44. He told me how the germans would call in artillery and hit the tops of the trees and send huge pieces of trees and splinters showering down on U.S. soldiers. He said they lost nearly as many men from falling timber as they did in direct combat. He described it as hell on earth. I have such a deep respect for all those men who fought and died, as well as those who survived, yet bear the scars of their sacrifices. They are undoubtedly, the greatest generation that has ever lived.

[@Gocats1970]

Watch the movie : When Trumpets Fade. Thank you for going there and discussing this. I knew two veterans from this battle. 1st and 9th Divisions. That place is a memorial.

[@terryeustice5399]

JD the Kall trail was the bloody bucket for sure. Amazing video. Very informative and historical . Thank you for bringing to life this battles of the 28th Infantry. Happy New Year 🎆 💯👍👊

[@waldoman321]

You can really feel the tension and anxiety those guys must have felt by that footage of the GIs suddenly dropping down to take cover

[@jetsons101]

The Battle of the Bulge has been told over and over but I have never heard about this event. Thanks for keeping history alive.

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

👍🏻

[@jetsons101]

Another great watch, they improve with each one... @@TheHistoryUnderground

[@johnellis6959]

Most of your episodes are really good, this was a great one. Happy Hogmanay to you and yours.

[@Nyllsor]

Thanks for a great episode :) And happy new year! Its a good time to be grateful for what we got, if thats atleast our life, heat, food and a good episode of the History Underground :)

[@camdodge9891]

Another absolute fantastic video thank you and happy new year JD 🥳🎉

[@cyndiebill6631]

The place were the aid station was touched me the most. That both sides could stop long enough to help each other with their wounded showed that they had compassion. Unlike the war in the Pacific were the medics and the wounded were targeted by the Japanese. 👍😔

[@dpeasehead]

@cyndiebill6631: Medics were targeted at times in the ETO also. Not always. But it did happen. Airborne wasn't noted for taking prisoners either. The Japanese didn't have a monopoly on brutality, hard as they tried.

[@mark-ib7sz]

One of your best !!! Thank you.

[@behindthespotlight7983]

I first learned about Hurtgen Forest in early 2007. While watching Ken Burn’s must-see, 10 episode WW2 anthology simply titled “War.” When the spiritual imprint of a location can reach the soul of a man born in 1972, through a TV screen, 4000 miles and a half century away, that’s when you KNOW that something tremendously impactful hit fellow humans at a previous time. Bizarre as this may sound I’ve experienced the same spectrum of compressed emotions only two other times comparable to the images of the Hurtgen Forest, and the men who clashed and suffered there, per the Burn’s documentary. The first was touring Alcatraz. The other was in 2004. I placed my hand on the interior of a “Forty and Eight” European boxcar at the Holocaust Museum in Washington DC. It’s like you can hear the soul-screams emanating from the wood, the metal, the decaying concrete and the earth. As I write this my reactive mind says “you’re expressing indescribable things” while my empathetic mind says “many reading this will know precisely of what you speak.”

[@trpdon4581]

“Anyway” has gotta be JD’s favorite word lol

[@wanderingwarrior5626]

So interesting listening to these old timers recall how things were when they were advancing through Europe.

[@1psychofan]

Just got home from church -tuning in now! Really looking forward to this episode

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

Hope that you enjoy it!

[@1psychofan]

@@TheHistoryUnderground so, on the monument to the citizens who lost their lives… Peter Dohr… any relation to Erik?

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

@@1psychofan - Different spelling. Sounds the same though.

[@1psychofan]

@@TheHistoryUnderground interesting some families changed spelling of names….made me wonder

[@geoffthiessen646]

Thanks again for an incredible history tour

[@brucewood1827]

Excellent video JD. I read the series about the Hurtgen. So many bad mistakes made on both sides. Along with the hellacious battle of Peleliu, these battles should've and could've been avoided.

[@DeannaClark-oo9ut]

VA hospitals had many of these men for years with mental, emotional and physical injuries...the horror was relentless.

[@edouardrobert160]

Happy New Year Have a healthy and prosperous year thanks for the great videos

[@lindasnyder9479]

My Daddy was wounded here. He was hit by shrapnel in his left thigh that he said you could drop a Coke can through! He said the forest looked like toothpicks from all the fighting.

[@kerimperdomo]

Amazing evidence!! Love your videos. Happy New Year from Honduras, Central America. Keep the good and excellent work!!

[@stevenm3823]

The only movie I can think of that is based on the Hurtgen Forest battle is called "When Trumpets Fade".....

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

I need to see that movie.

[@stevenm3823]

Good movie...decent historical accuracy, realistic combat scenes, engaging storyline of a combat exhausted soldier who goes from Private to Lieutenant in a matter of days and is given a squad of green troops to lead through the battle.

[@drmarkintexas-400]

Thank you for sharing Wishing you a Happy, Healthy and Safe 2024 🎆🎉🎇🤗💙

[@brabbertje]

Hi History Underground. Thanks for this excellent episodes about the bloody Hurtgen Forest. A very interesting piece of history from a dark period. It was a major failure of the US military leadership to send the men through this hellish forest. they were enormous sacrifices. I visit the area often and the fascination will always remain. Thanks for sharing! Greetz from Hollland.

[@stangxx2199]

Follow Me and Die by Cecil Curry is a fantastic book covering the 28th Division in the Hurtgin Forest. Great read!

[@Nighthawk1966]

Very awesome video JD ! Happy New Year buddy !!